http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/23/why-do-sports-need-an-extra-bullshit-narrative-layered-on-top Comments On: Why Do Sports Need an Extra Bullshit Narrative Layered on Top? by Paul Constant en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sun, 19 May 2013 21:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by fetish]]> Sat, 26 Jan 2013 06:42:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by alguna_rubia]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:23:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:07:56 -0800 The Stranger
You can care if the author's "true memoir" is a lie, or you can read it in isolation, and enjoy the text on its own merits. You can wonder if Shakespeare really had all that shit happen to him (Shakespeare in Love!) or not. It's not clear to serious readers which is better.

But to someone who ostentatiously hates sports, it's all much simpler. Everything is easy when you have that agenda.
Posted by Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:09:18 -0800 The Stranger Posted by asdfasdfsdafasdfasdfasdfasdfasdf]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:17:14 -0800 The Stranger Posted by LXB]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:41:56 -0800 The Stranger
Why is it, then, that so many Serious Fans of Serious Literature insist that the text should stand or fall on its own merits, regardless of who produced it, how it was promoted, or anything else external to the actual body of work?

I don't think Paul Constant is that kind of Literature Fan, mind you, as he does seem to care about the political leanings of this or that author of adventure stories, but then that's why I initially asked him about dustjackets— I'm pretty sure he does care about that stuff, and for reasons having nothing to do with the quality of the performance on the field.
Posted by robotslave]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:39:59 -0800 The Stranger "I suddenly asked myself at one point, why do I care if my high school team wins the football game? I mean, I don't know anybody on the team, you know? I mean, they have nothing to do with me, I mean, why I am cheering for my team? It doesn't mean any -- it doesn't make sense. But the point is, it does make sense: it's a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority, and group cohesion behind leadership elements -- in fact, it's training in irrational jingoism..."
Posted by biju]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:05:56 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Chester Copperpot]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:51:09 -0800 The Stranger Posted by six five]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:30:13 -0800 The Stranger
But I can definitely drum up some enthusiasm for stories about gay Mormons.

Not interested in Lance Armstrong, although the "now there's a guy with ball" gag was funny.
Posted by originalcinner]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:46:57 -0800 The Stranger Posted by McBomber]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:27:18 -0800 The Stranger
The sports hero is not an individual, s/he is an archetypal figure, someone we are all supposed to want to be. Thus, s/he cannot display imperfection. Doing so undermines the shared myth. Or, if they do fail, they must fail spectacularly, so as to embody the villain everyone is supposed to want not to be. So, they must be god or satan, but never human.

A shared myth is created out of fear of Classical Liberalism taken to an extreme, in which society would dissolve into a mass of individuals competing for their own selfish desires at the cost of the group. A shared myth taken too far results in events like the Nikia Riots. A more modern equivalent would be rowdy English soccer fans or the Canadian phenomenon of being exceptionally nice in every respect except hockey, over which the entire country is completely batshit and will flip your car over before torching it.

JD Talmon talks about something called Totalitarian Democracy. A Totalist state distinguishes itself by the belief that politics can reshape human nature for the better. It therefore makes every aspect of life political, as it must if it is to remold every aspect of the citizenry's behavior.

This is why sporting events are organized, and in some cases, officially sanctioned. Baseball, for example, is a legal monopoly. Some political theorists, particularly those devoted to Strauss, believe that shared myths such as organized professional sports can be used to mold the American public influence our behaviors, and channel our thought processes away from self-indulgence toward more of a national consciousness. In this sense, this ideology matches Talmon's concept of Totalitarian Democracy.


Posted by Tacoma Traveler]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:16:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by lauramae]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:30:53 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:56:42 -0800 The Stranger
It is for the exact same reason you get interested in the story of any other public figure, whether it be an author, dancer, politician, painter, musician, etc.

Now stop asking stupid questions. That saying about "there are no dumb questions" needs to be amended to require that the questions are sincere.
Posted by ohthetrees]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:15:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Seattle14]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:01:22 -0800 The Stranger
@2 — The rest of the media consumers in the nation have to put up with discussion of these sports narratives in the news, which can be really annoying since there are far more important things going on in the world.

And I'm not one who disdains sports.
Posted by BD]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:57:00 -0800 The Stranger
That's why the Te'o story resonates: Not that he had a fake girlfriend, but that ESPN (and many others) had sold us this heroic, heartbreaking story about his grandmother dying (for real) and his (fake) girlfriend dying on the same day while he soldiered on for one of the top-ranked teams in the country.

Posted by bigyaz]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:49:20 -0800 The Stranger Posted by DawginExile]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:13:35 -0800 The Stranger Posted by carsten coolage]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:59:31 -0800 The Stranger
For instance, I'm glad I know about Michael Vick's dog abuse and Roethlisberger's sexual assaults. These have nothing to do with their on-field performance, but I don't ever want to root for a complete dirtbag, no matter how talented.
Posted by Free Lunch]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:56:39 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:55:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by robotslave]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:51:00 -0800 The Stranger Posted by STJA]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:49:42 -0800 The Stranger